


Take a Hint

by kappa77



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26414575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kappa77/pseuds/kappa77
Summary: There were ten people on the bus. Suki had counted.Ten people on this evening bus and yet this guy, with a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, decided to sit right next to her.or a ‘a man catcalled me on the street and you yelled at him and i had to drag you away before things got physical’ sukka au
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 66





	Take a Hint

**Author's Note:**

> As you can guess by the AU, Suki does get harassed by a guy in the fic, but it's not overly sexual, he's just being creepy and touchy.
> 
> Also they're in their 20s.
> 
> Title from "Take a Hint" from Victorious

There were ten people on the bus. Suki had counted.

Ten people on this evening bus and yet this guy, with a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, decided to sit right next to her. The bus was even larger than normal, with a set of doors in the middle of the bus.

Suki leaned back in her seat, letting go of any hope at relaxing after an exhausting day on her feet. Now, she was hyper aware of the man next to her, side-eyeing every move he took in case he ended up being a creep.

She pulled out her phone and earbuds, hoping her paranoia would be for naught.

The guy broke the silence of the bus. “Hey, what’s your name?”

She stayed quiet, hoping he would take a hint. After a long day, her legs ached and her throat was sore, and she really wasn’t in the mood for discussing sexual harassment and cat-calling behaviors.

He didn’t.

“My name’s Jet. I have to say, I noticed you the minute I got on the bus. I knew I had to get your number.”

What kind of world was this guy living in that he thought he could board a bus at 8 p.m., see a stranger, and think it would end up in him getting her number?

She glanced outside, looking for the stretch of shops that indicated she was halfway through with her commute.

No such luck.

Jet seemed perfectly fine with his one-sided conversation. “You’re really pretty, you know that?”

She was about to put in her earbuds when she saw him try to subtly put his hand on her knee. It was not subtle at all; it was very obvious. He gave it a slight squeeze.

“Hey- OW!” He was cut off as she took his middle finger and snapped it back as far as she could.

She finally made eye-contact with him. He seemed surprised that she dared to rebuke him.

“Hands off.”

Nursing his hand, Jet moved back into his side of the seat, but didn’t move to a different one.

She turned back into her seat, scanning the bus, wondering if someone had noticed this. Her eyes caught another man who was leaning against one of the poles by the front of the bus, blue sweatshirt proudly proclaiming his alma mater. When she’d first got on the bus, he had caught her eyes when she’d gotten on the bus as he had several cartilage piercings and shaved hair.

They shared a look of understanding that Jet was an idiot. Her heart beat a little less fast having this moment of knowing he was terrible.

The rest of the bus ride was peaceful. Finally, she noticed the familiar landmarks proclaiming her stop was soon and she reached up and pressed the button.

She stood up, planning on waiting by the doors before the bus stopped. She picked up her backpack, bracing herself on the seat in front of her. She looked down and Jet still hadn’t moved. He looked up and grinned in such a way that Suki felt she needed a shower.

“Excuse me,” she said.

He shifted so his legs were in the aisle, but he was still sitting. The look on his face told her he knew what he was doing, forcing her to shuffle pass. which was the last thing she wanted to do.

She tried again, adding more force to her words, “Excuse me.”

Nothing.

Plans for the best escape route were just forming in her head, when the man in the blue hoodie walked over. A frown graced his face as he put an arm on Jet’s shoulder.

“It’s her stop, asshole.”

Jet tore his gaze from her, frowning at the other man. “Why are you getting involved?”

“Because, you clearly can’t take all of the hints she has been laying at your feet the whole bus ride, so I’ve decided to spell it out for you; get up.”

Jet just sank further into his seat. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“Yes, you are!” Suki cried out, finally at her limit. “Just stand up like a normal person!”

Jet held up his hands as the bus rolled to a stop. “Look, I think you’re both overreacting.”

“Get up, or I’m making you get up,” Blue Hoodie said.

Suki caught Blue Hoodie’s eyes and she could tell he wasn’t bluffing. If this got physical, the bus driver would probably have to report it and the three of them would be forced to wait for police so they could make statements. Not only did Suki not want to deal with police, she did not want to spend any more time in Jet’s company.

So, against the protests from her legs, Suki vaulted over her seat, barely missing the ceiling, and landed awkwardly on the seat behind her. She gingerly leapt off into the aisle.

From the front of the bus, the bus driver shouted, “Hey!” followed by the hiss of the bus’s brakes.

“Sorry!” she called, before nudging Blue Hoodie out of his wide-eyed stare.

“It’s alright,” the bus driver said, opening the doors, “We get folks like him all the time.”

As Jet sputtered behind her, she hopped off the bus, taking a moment to appreciate the night air, finally free of that stuffy bus.

Her moment of peace was soon ruined as she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped and spun around, coming face to face with Blue Hoodie, who had his hands up.

“Ah, damn, that was my bad, I- Sorry, are you okay?” he asked, as the bus drove away.

The sudden contact after nearly half an hour of dealing with Jet was just too much. He was tired, she was hungry, and she wanted to disappear into her pajamas.

She knew she should thank him for intervening, not many people would have tried to help, but what came out was, “I’m perfectly capable of handling myself, you know that?”

“Oh, I- I never meant to imply that! He just…” He sighed. “We’re getting off on the wrong foot, my name’s Sokka. That guy was just getting on my nerves. And I hate seeing any person get harassed, but I would hate if my sister was being cat-called and no one intervened.”

She raised an eyebrow, “So you only care because you have a sister?”

“No! No, I-” the man face-palmed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make this awkward. I just wanted to help you out. I’ll let you get home.”

Suki frowned as he left the bus stop. He seemed genuinely sorry for being perceived as that kind of guy. Plus, he was walking in the same direction as her apartment building and she didn’t want an awkward walk home.

“Wait!” Suki called out, making the man stop. “I did appreciate your help.”

She could just make out his smile in the light of the streetlamp.

“But,” she continued, “it’s much more effective if you don’t get physical with the harasser.”

He frowned. “But I didn’t.”

“But you were going to.” She moved closer to him as she talked, “It’s best to talk to the person being harassed and make sure they’re okay and see if you can first get them out of the situation.”

He nodded, and she could practically see him filing away the information for later. “Okay,” he flashed her a smile. “Thank you.”

There was a beat of silence between them, with the only sounds around them being the sounds of the city.

Sokka said, “Can I take you out for a drink? I think you deserve it after tonight.”

She considered it, briefly. He was nice and clearly meant well, but then was hit with a wave of exhaustion. “Another night, give me your phone.”

He did and she put in her phone number. She handed them back.

“Suki, huh? That’s a nice name.”

She smiled, one of her first genuine smiles that night.


End file.
